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HER’s ‘I Can’t Breathe’ Wins Song Of The Year At The 2021 Grammys

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Of all the awards the Recording Academy awards at the Grammys, one of the most coveted is for Song Of The Year. This year, they’ve given the sought-after Grammy to HER for her outstanding protest track “I Can’t Breathe.”

While HER’s “I Can’t Breathe” is the official Grammy winner for Song Of The Year, she was facing some major competition in the category. Beyonce was nominated for “Black Parade,” Roddy Ricch for “The Box,” Taylor Swift for “Cardigan,” Post Malone for “Circles,” Dua Lipa for “Don’t Start Now,” Billie Eilish for “Everything I Wanted,” and JP Saxe and Julia Michaels for “If The World Was Ending.”

HER released “I Can’t Breathe” during the Black Lives Matter protests last June. At the time, HER said she wanted to track to promote equality and peace:

“I really want to recognize all of the people across various communities that are promoting justice and equality and peace and passion. We need that unity right now, so this first song is called ‘I Can’t Breathe.’ Just by the title, you know that it means something very painful and very revealing, and I think it’s necessary. These lyrics were kind of easy to write because it came from a conversation of what’s happening right now, what’s been happening, and the change that we need to see. I think music is powerful when it comes to change and when it comes to healing, and that’s why I wrote this song, to make a mark in history. And I hope this song does that.”

Of course, last year’s Song Of The Year Grammy was awarded to Billie Eilish after her track “Bad Guy.” The song had gone No. 1 shortly after it release and knocked Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” off the top spot after it had been there for a record-breaking 19 weeks straight.

Find the full list of this year’s Grammy winners and nominees here.

Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Bruno Mars And Anderson .Paak Gave A Lively Tribute To Little Richard At The 2021 Grammys

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The Grammys are a time to celebrate all of the achievements in music, from up-and-coming artists to legendary stars. It’s also a time that the Recording Academy pays tribute to all of the iconic musicians that have passed away in the previous year. Unfortunately, 2020 saw the death of venerable songwriters like John Prine, Little Richard, Kenny Rogers, and Bill Withers. In order to honor Little Richard’s legacy, Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars performed a lively medley of the late musician’s classics.

In front of a glimmering backdrop, .Paak and Mars, who together form the new duo Silk Sonic, were joined by The Free Nationals for the set. They opened the performance with an energetic rendition of Little Richard’s “Tall Sally” before swiftly moving into a version of “Good Golly Miss Molly.”

Their tribute wasn’t the only time Silk Sonic took the Grammys stage Sunday night. Ahead of honoring Little Richard, .Paak and Mars performed their Silk Sonic debut single “Leave The Door Open.”

Watch a clip of Mars, .Paak, and The Free Nationals pay tribute to Little Richard at the 2021 Grammys above, and find a full list of all the winners here.

Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Cardi B And Megan Thee Stallion’s Wild 2021 Grammys Performance Combined ‘Savage’ And ‘Up’ With ‘WAP’

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After a whirlwind summer that saw their collaboration go No. 1, take over the national discourse, and “piss off a bunch of Republicans for no reason,” Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion finally got to perform a watered-down version of the raunchy “WAP” on the Grammys.

Opting to use the clean version — which contains one of the three words Cardi says she hates the most — Cardi and Meg hit the stage together for a smashing, roaring 20s-inspired performance. Opening with a jazzy medley of Meg’s “Body” and “Savage,” Cardi appeared via a wild, LED screen, dancing in a gleaming futuristic ensemble to start her performance with her new song “Up.” Then Meg joined her after a very quick costume change for a performance of “WAP” backed by a giant stripper shoe with a heel that doubled as a pole.

After releasing “Up,” the follow-up to “WAP,” Cardi commented on the reaction to her and Meg’s hit, saying she was surprised because it was “really mild” compared to the continuum of randy sex raps from previous female stars like Lil Kim and Trina. The song’s title was censored at the Emmys, confusing and delighting fans, while “WAP” became a political lightning rod, drawing responses from the likes of Republican Congressional candidates, and Congresswoman Maxine Waters. Cardi even joked she was originally supposed to perform the song at the 2021 Presidential inauguration.

“WAP” isn’t nominated for an award this year, but Cardi made sure to congratulate overlooked, under-the-radar nominees ahead of the ceremony. Meanwhile, Megan actually did win an award before the televised portion of the ceremony for her “Savage” remix with Beyonce, making them the first women to win the Best Rap Performance award.

Watch Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s performance above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Bruno Mars And Anderson .Paak Bring Silk Sonic To The 2021 Grammys Stage With A Throwback Performance

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During the lead-up to this year’s Grammys, Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak made it clear that they wanted their new supergroup, Silk Sonic, to perform during the broadcast. They made a big stink about it on Twitter, trying to convince the Recording Academy to give them a performance slot during the 2021 ceremony. As many surely suspected, it seemed the pair’s faux-bellyaching seemed to have been a ploy to drum up attention for their performance, which the Academy announced days later was locked in.

So, Mars and .Paak took the stage tonight and busted out a rendition of their sole single so far, “Leave The Door Open.” The duo was joined by a pair of background singers and they all made perfect use of the stage, with .Paak and Mars joining their backing cohorts towards the back of the space when they weren’t on lead vocals.

Mars has been relatively quiet over the past few years and consequently, he doesn’t have any Grammy nominations this year. .Paak has a couple of nods for 2021, though: “Lockdown” was nominated for for Best Melodic Rap Performance while that song’s visual is up for Best Music Video.

Watch Silk Sonic’s Grammy performance above and find the full list of this year’s Grammy winners and nominees here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

DaBaby Employs A Choir In HIs 2021 Grammys Performance Of ‘Rockstar’ With Roddy Ricch

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DaBaby is a rapper with a gift for puns, but his performance of “Rockstar” at the 2021 Grammys gave host Trevor Noah such a good setup, it’s almost shocking they didn’t shut the whole thing down immediately after. Backed by a choir of silver-haired, elder singers — comparisons were made to the Supreme Court, which still runs overwhelmingly old and white — DaBaby was joined by Roddy Ricch and Anthony Hamilton for a blown-out performance, with Noah dubbing the backup singers “The Baby Boomers” when all was said and done.

DaBaby and Roddy share three nominations this year for “Rockstar,” which has them both anticipating potential wins for Best Rap Song, Best Rap/Sung Performance, and Record Of The Year. DaBaby’s “Bop” was also nominated for Best Rap Performance, although Megan Thee Stallion secured that award for herself earlier in the evening in the non-televised portion of the proceedings for her Beyonce-featuring song “Savage.” Meanwhile, Roddy himself is nominated for Best Rap/Sung Performance, Best Rap Song, and Song Of The Year for his TikTok-favorite solo single “The Box.”

After his performance, DaBaby barely had time to remove his sparkly driving gloves before returning to the stage to support Dua Lipa on her “Levitating” performance, still shining in his all-white suit.

Watch DaBaby’s glorious performance of “Rockstar” above.

Dua Lipa’s Shimmering Grammys Medley Spanned ‘Levitating,’ ‘Don’t Start Now’ And Three Outfit Changes

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Dua Lipa’s 2020 record Future Nostalgia was a beacon of light in what shaped up to be a pretty dark year, and the songs off her sophomore album are still echoing through pop music even a year later. One of the album’s early singles, “Levitating” got an upbeat, rollicking verse from North Carolina rapper DaBaby on a worthy remix, and tonight the pair united on the Grammys stage to deliver a live rendition.

Although another remixed version of the track includes Madonna and Missy Elliott, as part of Dua’s Club Nostalgia remix album that doubles as a love letter to the classic electronic music and club scene, DaBaby’s version is still the one that fans gravitate toward the most. She’s up for six nominations this year, including Album Of The Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Pop Solo Performance and Song Of The Year and Record Of The Year for “Don’t Start Now.”

For tonight’s performance she sported a massive, fluffy pink princess dress replete with sparkles and massive sleeves, matched with pink eyeshadow and a pink mic, before ditching it for a sparkling pink blazer when DaBaby casually strolled back onstage to deliver his verse. After rejoining him, she pulled off yet another outfit change, stripping down to a pink sparkling bikini to launch into “Don’t Start Now.” A fitting medley for a star who should’ve been performing in arenas all year, Dua proved she earned that Best New Artist Grammy last year over and over again. Watch below.

Megan Thee Stallion Picks Up The 2021 Grammy Award For Best New Artist

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While there are always complaints about who gets nominated for what at the Grammy Awards, there’s no denying that this year’s set of nominees for Best New Artist is a stacked group. Somebody had to win though, and it has now been revealed that Megan Thee Stallion is taking home the Grammy for Best New Artist at the 2021 awards.

The artists who were nominated for the award this year were Ingrid Andress, Phoebe Bridgers, Chika, Noah Cyrus, D Smoke, Doja Cat, Kaytranada, and Megan.

This year’s field is one of the more stacked list of Best New Artist nominees in recent memory. Both Doja and Megan had No. 1 singles in 2020: “Say So” for Doja and “Savage” and “WAP” for Meg. The first two of those three aforementioned songs are up for Record Of The Year, too. Bridgers had a standout year in terms of Grammy nominations outside of Best New Artist, as she also earned nods for Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song, and Best Alternative Music Album. The same is true for Kaytranada, who picked up wins in the Best Dance Recording category, for his Kali Uchis collaboration “10%,” and in Best Dance/Electronic Album, for Bubba.

Find the full list of this year’s Grammy winners and nominees here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Freddie Gibbs Had A Jovial Reaction To Missing Out On A Best Rap Album Grammy Award

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While Freddie Gibbs fans had a minor collective meltdown over his album Alfredo being “robbed” at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, the Gary, Indiana rapper’s response was much more affable. Gibbs, who was tabbed by fans as a shoo-in for a Best Rap Album award win thanks to his razor-sharp flows and blunt, darkly humorous observations about his misadventures in the drug game on it, was beaten out by Nas, who won the award for his Hit-Boy-produced 2020 album King’s Disease.

Fred didn’t seem too broken up about it, though. In a video posted to social media by a fan at his private Grammy viewing party, Gibbs shrugged off the loss with his typical irreverent outlook and a cheeky comment, delivered in a flashy, salmon-colored suit. “Look, I might have lost today,” he admitted, addressing the crowd. “But I’m undefeated in court!”

He’s referring, of course, to a handful of criminal cases that broke his way, as detailed recently by an in-depth profile on The Ringer by Jeff Weiss. In one case, a judge misreading the amount in case of possession of weed led to the case being dismissed. In the most recent example, Fred was arrested in France after being accused of sexual assault in Vienna, Austria. However, once the details of the case were heard in court, a panel of Austrian judges declared him not guilty, with video evidence confirming that Gibbs was alone in his room at the time the assault was alleged.

Check out Gibbs;’ tongue-in-cheek response to his Grammy loss above.

Freddie Gibbs is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Nas’ Win In The Best Rap Album Category Grants Him His Long-Awaited Grammy Award

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Nas hasn’t had much success at the Grammy awards. Well, to be honest, he hasn’t had any. The legendary rapper failed to bring home the coveted award each of the 13 times he was nominated. Luckily for him, all of that changed on Sunday at the 2021 Grammys. Nas won in the Best Rap Album category with his 13th album, King’s Disease. The project was boosted by a refreshed sound thanks to Hit-Boy’s production as well as solid contributions from the likes of Big Sean, Lil Durk, Anderson .Paak, and more.

The win comes 25 years after Nas received his first Grammy nomination in the Best Rap Solo Performance category at the 1996 show for “If I Ruled The World (Imagine That).” His nomination for the Best Rap Album is also the fifth time in Nas’ career that he was in the running for the award. The previous four times came in 2000 with I Am…, 2008 for Hip Hop Is Dead, 2009 for Nas, and 2013 for Life Is Good. Prior to this year, Nas was high on the list of artists with the most Grammy nominations without a win. The names ahead of him include Martina McBride (14), Brian McKnight (17), Snoop Dogg (17), and Morten Lindberg who holds the record with 20 winless nominations.

Nas beat D Smoke’s Black Habits, Jay Electronica’s A Written Testimony, Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist’s Alfredo, and Royce 5’9’’’s The Allegory to take home his first Grammy award.

Taika Waititi Was As Surprised He Won A Grammy (For ‘Jojo Rabbit’) As Everyone Else

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Taika Waititi is a Grammy winner now! That was a bit unexpected! The filmmaker and actor is not a musician, though he has done some music-adjacent work, such as his involvement with The Flight of the Conchords. But on Sunday, during the run of pre-show awards, he accepted the trophy for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, for his 2019 Holocaust comedy-drama Jojo Rabbit. And he was as surprised to get one as everyone else.

Waititi gave his acceptance speech very remotely — from a trailer on the set of Thor: Love and Thunder, which started filming in Sydney, Australia earlier this year. It began with some technical glitches, but once everything was cleared up he was quick to go into charming jokey mode.

“I guess they’re just giving Grammys to anyone now! I’ll take it, thank you,” Waititi said. He then tried to talk about Jojo Rabbit, which earned him an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay over a year ago, in a much different time. “What can I say? It was so long ago, I can barely remember anything about making that movie — but it seems like it’s never going to go away, and I’m happy about that.” Then he said he was “going back to work now.”

Waititi was also taken aback online.

But he was also very grateful.

The win may be a shock, but it does mean something big: Waititi is one half of the way towards EGOT power. So put him on TV and on Broadway and let’s get this done.